You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile

By guest blogger Renee Calvert

Last month, I had my first experience as an exhibitor at a convention.

I’d been to this annual animation industry convention for the past three years as an attendee. Because the convention has grown exponentially since my first year attending, I no longer wanted to be one of thousands of hopeful faces standing in line hoping that Disney or Nickelodeon would love my portfolio and give me a job. I needed a way to stand out more. The convention organizers were offering a section billed as a “new talent” area, so I got a table and prepped some of my best artwork and set out to Burbank not sure what to expect.

Suffice it to say, I had a blast. Once I’d overcome my initial nervousness over my proximity to a few major animation studios and had set up my table display to my satisfaction, I made it my mission to get as many people in front of my table as possible. I talked myself hoarse by constantly calling out a cheerful “hello!” to every passerby, inviting them to grab some candy and a sticker, and check out my artwork.

I was delighted to find nine times out of ten that friendly greeting and big smile caused people who were paying me zero attention to turn around, acknowledge my greeting, take a second look at the art in front of me and then approach my table to get a closer look and find out what I was about. I had many conversations with artists at all levels, from high school students aspiring to go to an art school to industry veterans taking a break from their own tables in the main hall.

All because I’d smiled and said “hello.”

But it’s not just at a convention setting or in the animation industry where a nice greeting can get someone to do a 180 and approach you when they otherwise wouldn’t have. Leaders in any field can inspire people to take a closer look simply by being accessible.

Think about the leaders in your life – managers, project leads, coaches, and teachers – who have positively impacted you and inspired you. Were they the ones who scowled at you, who acted like they were too busy to talk to you, who rushed past you in the hallway and never said “hello?” Or were they the ones who made themselves available, who always said “hello” and asked how you were doing, who had an investment in you?

Chances are good it’s the latter.

If you think about how your behavior affects the people you lead, what would they say? Are you the grumpy supervisor who can’t be bothered with the minutia of their daily tasks  or bothered with anything they have to say? Or do the people you lead know that they can come to you for advice, questions and input?

If you don’t view yourself as a leader or are just starting out as a leader, a smile and an open invitation is a good way to establish yourself as someone approachable and assistive, ready to help people along and guide them. A handful of the people who approached my table at the convention were aspiring artists who wanted me to critique their portfolios. This came as a total surprise to me – I’m barely out of art school myself! But as I spoke with them and applied what I knew, I came to realize that because I was behind the table they viewed me as an authority. And because I had called out to them, they viewed me as someone they could trust and get valid feedback and advice from.

I’m only starting out in this industry as a freelance artist, but I believe it was my approachability that caused less experienced artists to see me as a leader.  Looking around at the other “New Talent” artists in my proximity, the ones with the big, sunny grins were the ones who were always chatting with recruiters, aspiring artists and interested people. And the artists who hid behind their sketchbooks and never looked up – despite being incredibly talented – did not see as many visitors.

It’s such a basic thing to do. And yet we all get caught up in our heads – looming deadlines, impending performance reviews, tasks to delegate and our own busy, busy lives to manage all occlude the fact that other people look to us for what to do.

So the next time you feel distanced from those you lead, take a step back. Are you letting them in with a smile or shutting them out with a cold shoulder? Then, take a big breath and smile. It’ll make everyone on your team – including you – feel great.

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